


Barrier

by Keirashark



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, idk this is my first, one bed baybee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28123122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keirashark/pseuds/Keirashark
Summary: After an exhausting adventure, the reader stays the night in the TARDIS. But when they're mysteriously woken up by the TARDIS itself, what will they find?
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Reader, Ninth Doctor/Reader, Tenth Doctor/Reader, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Reader, Twelfth Doctor/Reader
Kudos: 74





	Barrier

With a stumble into the TARDIS doors, I finally caught my breath. Another day, another brush with death. As the Doctor firmly locked the door, he turned, looking at me with his signature “worried face”.

Looking up and down at my body, I panted, “Don’t worry, still in one piece.”

He gave me a half-smile, concern still evident on his face. While I wasn’t dead or missing a limb, several minor cuts arched across my legs from running through underbrush, and every fiber of my being was sore.

However, there was one thing I needed above all else: sleep. Normally I wouldn’t rest in the TARDIS, seeing as I had my own flat. Plus, the Doctor had his own errands to attend to while I caught some shuteye. Yet after this particularly exhausting adventure, I needed to crash immediately. Having to stay awake against a creature that’ll kill you in your dreams will do it to anyone.

Letting out a heavy yawn, my legs actually gave out a tad. Thankfully, I braced myself on the handrail next to me. I was definitely more tired than I realized. Within a blink of the eye, the Doctor was there, holding me steady.

“Let's get you to a room before you collapse on me.” The Doctor joked, trying to keep the worry out of his tone.

He failed.

Leading me down a hallway, the Doctor kept his arm across my upper back, fingers lightly gracing my right shoulder. I’d be lying if I said every conscious thought wasn’t on the small touches guiding me further into the maze of the gracious machine. And as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t help but notice the Doctor repeatedly looking down at me. Being this close to him, my heart was running a marathon. Do his hearts skip a beat when he’s this close?

No.

No. No. No. We are not some love-sick puppy. The Doctor liking me? I’d have better luck gaining the affection of a Dalek.

And yet… some part of me still longed for the time lord. Caught between a wonderful friendship and a desire for more. Incredible.

Time seemed to skip a beat, and I was suddenly in front of a doorway. The Doctor, his hand still holding my body close, opened the door with his other hand. Inside, I found a king-sized bed, the fluffy blankets and lush pillows seeming to call for me. I could’ve cried from relief.

I left the Doctor’s hold and dive bombed onto the bed. The Doctor let out a slight chuckle, leaning against the doorframe. I could already feel myself slipping into unconsciousness as I got below the covers.

The Doctor began ranting, “Now, you have a bathroom in that corner of the room with toiletries. If you want, there are also some food and drinks in the mini fridge, and spare pj’s in the dresser. Also, in case of any emergencies, there’s a supply kit inside the bathroom, and-”

“This all seems pretty prepared,” I said absentmindedly, stifling a yawn.

The Doctor’s gaze slipped to his feet. “Well, I thought I’d get it ready, you know, in case you were ever staying over.”

A warm feeling spread throughout my chest, and I looked at the Doctor, who was still avoiding my gaze.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet of you.” I stated. It could’ve been the lighting, but I swore he was blushing.

At the edges of slumber, I asked, “And where can I find you?” The Doctor gave me a timid glance. “I mean for an emergency- er, yeah, you know.” I stuttered.  
Running a hand through his hair, the Doctor simply said, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll be coming here straight away if anything goes wrong.”

“Knowing us, we’re probably going to be sucked into a black hole-” I started.

“Oh, quiet.”

“-Or kidnapped by space pirates,” I mumbled, closing my eyes. “Or perhaps even get swallowed by a space whale.”

“Well actually, there are whales that traverse the stars,” The Doctor began. “Although they’re quite peaceful, so we should have nothing to worry-”

“Hey, Doctor?”

“Yes, (Y/N)?”

“Good night.”

“Good night, (Y/N).” The Doctor whispered, and I could hear him step out of the room and close the door.

With that, I drifted off into slumber.

Or at least I did for a while, before I was woken up by a pulsing light being shined in my face. Blinking slowly, I looked up, seeing the TARDIS lights above me flickering a strong blue.

I wouldn’t claim to have as good of a relationship with the machine as the Doctor, considering that he’d been with the ship for hundreds of years. But occasionally, I could swear it was telling me things. I knew in some sense it was alive, so in between adventures, I’d often sit against the TARDIS’ walls, feeling the machine whirr and creak. Every once in a while, a light would shine down on me, before going away momentarily. When I asked the Doctor, he said he had no clue what it meant. However, I think he was jealous that I was getting some form of a response from the being. In respect of the time lord’s feelings, I never brought it up again.  
Yet, these flickers held a different tone to them. They were fast. On, off, on off. Something urgent. It startled me so much that I sat up in bed and put a hand against the wall. Closing my eyes, I held my breath.

Within a moment, a current ran beneath my fingers. And then another one, like an invisible force coursing underneath my hand. They were both heading in the same direction.

I had gotten a couple hours of sleep, that’s probably enough. Why not see where this trail goes?

Rising out of bed, I placed my feet delicately upon the ground. The cold floor sent shivers down my body, but it woke me up at the same time. Keeping my hand upon the wall, I took a few paces toward the door. A pulse once again hummed under my touch. Mentally declaring, as the youths say, “fuck it”, I opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. A sight I’d never seen before greeted me.

The floor of the hall was lit up. Blue squares raced down one end of the hallway, turning on and off in a repeating pattern. It was blatantly creating a path for me to pursue. Welp, there’s not much else to do besides following the yellow brick road. Or, I suppose the blue square floor?  
Carefully, I treaded down the way, watching to see where the lights lead me next. A feeling of excitement bubbled in my chest, and I couldn’t help the small smile that graced my face. For the next few minutes, I padded down the mess of halls, each step on the smooth floor of the TARDIS causing my mind to race with thoughts. Could it be heading to a secret room? Maybe I’ll find a portal to a new world, or some fancy kitchen stocked with food. I was pretty hungry, now that I thought about it.

But why would it wake me up for that? I mean, I love a treasure hunt as much as the next fellow, but it seems like an odd occurrence for a middle-of-the-night call. The excitement racing through my veins was replaced with a sense of fear. My body tensed, preparing for any sign of danger.

As my mind went over what could possibly be wrong, the blue lights suddenly stopped. A lone square still gave me enough light to see a seemingly regular door in front of me. There were no markings, nothing. Just a panel of wood breaking apart the long hallway of metal walls.

Looking left and right, I spotted no entity spying on me. With slow movements, I listened through the door.

Silence.

And then I heard it: a gasping breath. With another beat of silence, I leaned further against the wood. A shuddering wail reached my ears, and I realized who it belonged to.

Placing a hand on the chill metal of the machine, I streamed all my thoughts into a plea: unlock the door, please.

Almost immediately, the wooden door opened a tad, a resounding click echoing through the empty hallway. Holding my breath, I silently pushed the door ajar.

Peering into the darkness, I found a messy bedroom, maps and scrolls lining almost every inch of the walls. Various pieces of tech covered several surfaces, but I paid no heed to them. My focus was trained on the shivering form residing in a large bed. The Doctor, his arms held tight against his chest, had his eyes closed as he cried in his sleep.

What dreams plagued him, I cared not. I only saw the friend I cared so much about suffering, and I immediately went to his side.  
Once I reached him, however, I grew hesitant. What the hell do I do now? Indecision racked my brain, but as another whimper escaped from the Doctor’s mouth, my body went on autopilot. I reached a hand out, gently laying it on his shoulder.

Shaking it briefly, I whispered in the faintest voice I’ve ever had, “Doctor?”

Nothing. Going to try again, I opened my mouth to speak when a hand abruptly grabbed my wrist. The Doctor shot up, tears streaking down his face, with a fury I’d never seen before blazing in his eyes.

“Doctor, it’s me.” I pleaded in a shaky voice, my wrist starting to hurt from the Doctor’s grip. The fire continued to burn in his eyes for a moment that seemed to stretch eons. Then, recognition crossed his features.

“Oh god,” he breathed out, immediately letting go of me. “I’m sorry, oh god, I’m so sorry-”

Trying to reassure both him and myself, I reassured him in a low voice, “It’s okay. Don’t worry, it’s okay.”

The Doctor wiped the tears from his eyes viciously, stammering, “How- how did you find me?”

Ooh, how to explain this one.

“Uh, the TARDIS kinda led me here,” I stated, trying out a humorous tone. Oh man, I suck at this whole comforting thing.

The Doctor mumurered an “of course”, and put his hands over his face. A silence flooded the room, and I started to speak when the Doctor interrupted.

“I’m sorry that you had to get up,” he started, wringing his hands together. “But, I’m fine, so you can get yourself back to bed-”

I sat down on the bed next to him, not saying a word. His rambling faltered, coming to a stop. I stared straight ahead, looking at the charts layered on the walls. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him glancing repeatedly at me, trying and failing to start speaking again. With a small sigh, he slowly sat down next to me. After a few seconds, we fell into a comfortable silence. No words, no space between us as I listened to the Doctor’s breathing slow to a normal rate. He seemed to lean into me, and I couldn’t help but return the favor. It was hard to tell how much time passed, but it must’ve been a few minutes when a yawn I couldn’t stop breached the peace.

The Doctor laughed lightly, and started to get up. He was probably going to take me back to my room. I guess it was for the best… but I had other plans. Instead, I rolled onto the other side of the bed, getting myself under the blankets.

Like a deer frozen in headlights, the Doctor nervously stuttered, “Uh, (Y/N)-”.

In response, I simply patted the space on the bed beside me.

“I mean, (Y/N), you don’t have to-”.

Groaning in an annoyed tone, I just patted the bed harder. My head sank further into the pillow, and I closed my eyes.

I could feel the Doctor malfunctioning at the bedside. After a moment, I felt his weight shift as he lay down in the space next to me. All dumb feelings aside, I didn’t want to leave the Doctor alone. Not tonight. I opened my eyes just a tad, seeing the Doctor staring at me deeply. There was only a foot or so between us. In any other situation, I’d be a blushing mess, but I was too tired to care. I let my eyes close, a light smile resting on my face.

“Thank you,” the Doctor said in the quietest of voices. I didn’t need to respond.

Over the next few minutes, I was on the edge of consciousness once again. I couldn’t tell you exactly how it happened, but I was suddenly very, very close to the Doctor. My hand was gently laid against his chest, and my head rested under his chin. I could tell he was still awake, as he shifted his arm over my body.

“Doctor?” I asked in a faint voice.

“Yes, (Y/N)?”

“What were you dreaming about?”

I knew it was an intimate question, but frankly, right now, everything was intimate. He took a long pause before respond.

“We were running,” he sighed. I could tell where this was heading.

Taking a shaky breath, he continued, “Some monster or another was chasing us. Just like always. But in a flash, you were on the ground. And I knew-” his voice cracked a bit, and leaned my head further against his chest.

“And I knew,” he repeated, “that you were gone. And it was my fault.”

The Doctor ended with a shuddering breath. My mind was blank. What could I say to that? I did the only thing I could think of instead.

Raising my head, I looked at the Doctor right in his gorgeous eyes and said, “I’m here. I’m here, right now with you. And I’m going to be with you for a long, long time, whether you like it or not.”

With that, I burrowed my head against underneath his chin again, and listened to the beat of his hearts. They were racing. Huh, how peculiar. I fell asleep to the rhythm as they slowed, ready for a new day to spend with the Doctor.


End file.
